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Super Bridge
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Viewing Ideas
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Before Watching
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Have students build a people bridge to experiment with the
forces of compression (a pushing, squeezing force),
tension (a pulling force) and torsion (a
rotational, twisting force). Have pairs of students face each
other with palms touching and feet flat and about 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
apart (see
example). Have
students slowly move their feet back while keeping their palms
touching until the bridge feels balanced and they cannot back up
any further without falling over. Where on the bridge do
students feel forces of compression and tension? Have one person
move two steps to the left. What happens to the balance of the
bridge? How does torsion affect the stability of the bridge?
What forces might cause the support structure of a real bridge
to rotate?
After Watching
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Ask students to recall what they remember most from the program.
What is involved with building a bridge?
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